EAT BEAT

Navarre to Expand

Owner John Taboada’s unnamed project will rise this summer in the former Chin Yen space on Northeast 28th Avenue

Posted by: Karen Brooks on Feb 08, 2012 at 12:56PM 4 Comments

John Taboada and wife Giovanna Parolari at Luce

Chef John Taboada always has harebrained ideas going, and most of them work. Taboada was ahead of the curve in 2001 when he helped pioneer Portland’s do-it-yourself Eastside food scene at Navarre, an icon of farm-to-city eating. Luce, a reimaged Italian mom-and-pop shop run with his wife Giovanna Parolari, is humming along to happy reviews on East Burnside since opening in late fall. (Read our review here)

But Taboada had long dreamed of a four-table bar serving his beloved Europeans sips—aperitifs and digestifs—when Navarre neighbor Chin Yen recently shuttered. “I’ve been sandwiched between Starbucks and Chin Yen for ten years,” says Taboada. “I couldn’t resist.”

Game on. Taboada is starting the build-out for a new and as-yet-unnamed bar; what Taboada calls “a kindred spirit to Navarre, but not the same thing.” The plan, so far: a menu of appetizers and desserts only, to pair with drinks meant to be sipped before and after meals. A “secret dining room” is in the works, to house small groups and spontaneous parties. Meanwhile, a large prep kitchen means Navarre can expand beyond the nano-batch limits of its closet-sized kitchen. More charcuterie is on the table, and no one makes a pate like John Taboada. ETA is three to six months.

The new project occupies roughly one-third of the vast space held for decades by Chin Yen. According to Taboada, the landlord agreed to break the space into three spots rather than one large restaurant, opening up possibilities in a neighborhood of small businesses.

Is Parolari on board? The style maven and scavenger supreme is busy relocating her popular Una boutique to SE Ankeny St. “Oh, I don’t know, but I hope so” Taboada says. “She’s so busy right now I can’t even ask her. I’m just going to say yes!”

Navarre
10 NE 28th Ave
503-232-3555
navarreportland.blogspot.com

Luce
2138-2140 E Burnside St
503-236-7195
luceevents.blogspot.com

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Nong’s Khao Man Gai Expands East

The queen of carts crosses the river with a new takeout space.

Posted by: Benjamin Tepler on Feb 08, 2012 at 12:55PM 0 Comments

Good news for the chicken and rice-deprived eastside population. For her third outpost, Nong Poonsukwattana is opening up her commissary kitchen on SE Ankeny to the public. Amongst the giant vats of stewing poultry, heaping sacks of perfectly fluffed rice, and Nong’s famous ginger/garlic spiked sauce, you can buy a bundle of Khao Man Gai to go, without EVER going downtown.

Take-out service starts next Monday, the 13th of February and will run every Monday-Friday, from 11-4pm, with plans to open on the weekend.

Nong’s bottled Khao Man Gai sauce is still in the works for retail distribution. You can get a sneak peak in our latest issue.

Nong’s Khao Man Gai
609 SE Ankeny St, Suite B
503-740-2907
Monday-Friday, 11-4pm

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Cult Favorite Chefs Staging 10-seat Dinners

Podhah’s Rodney Muirhead and food-cart star Nong are among the cast of chefs lined up for an intimate dinner series at Robert Reynolds Chef Studio.

Posted by: Benjamin Tepler on Feb 08, 2012 at 12:55PM 0 Comments

Robert Reynolds and his dog, Thomas

Robert Reynolds is well known in Portland for his small, coveted cooking school, Chef’s Studio, on SE Pine Street. Every month, small batches of students and a few lucky diners bask in his erudite symposium of old school French and Italian cooking. This March, Reynolds is hosting his “Class Act dinners,” a month long series featuring some of Portland’s top chefs.

This years roundup is an all-star list: everyone from Paley’s Place dessert queen, Kristen Murray, to Thai cooking ambassador, Nong Poonsukwattana and Portland legend, Alton Garcia will be serving up a feast in their own unique style.

Each intimate dinner is part four-course meal, part cooking demonstration, with the chefs counter within reach. Each night features a different lineup led by appetizers, aperitifs, “what the French might call an entrée,” a main course, cheese, and dessert. The price is $45, with an additional $7 fee for wine. Seating is for 10 people per night. As Reynolds puts it: “We cook, we talk, we serve—you eat and drink.”

March 4th: Rodney Muirhead (Podnah’s Pit)
March 10th: Nong Poonsukwattana (Nong’s Khao Man Gai)
March 11th: Alton Garcia (Portland MVP, with stints at Genoa, Nostrana, Broder)
March 24th: Kristen Murray (Paley’s Place)
March 25th: Robert Reynolds (the man himself)
TBA: Kevin Gibson (EVOE)

Robert Reynolds Chef Studio
2818 SE Pine St
To reserve, email troufood@me.com, or call 503 421 9257

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Eat Beat Neighborhood News

Top food news stories from around Portland, including lunch hours at Via Tribunali and a Food & Wine nod to St. Jack Pastry Chef Alissa Rozos.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Feb 08, 2012 at 10:50AM 0 Comments

Alissa Rozos’s madeleines at St. Jack. Photo: Stuart Mullenberg

Northeast

NE Fremont: Grand Central Bakery is set to open its seventh location in Beaumont Village, at 4440 NE Fremont (formerly occupied by Fife and Soluna Grill). The new cafe will open early summer after an interior remodel.

NE 24th and Glisan: Tabla owner Adam Berger is setting out to serve “the tastiest balls in Portland” at his new meatball-centric eatery 24th and Meatballs. According to The O, the 30-seat restaurant will serve “beef, lamb, pork and turkey meatballs on hoagies, panini, cheesy polenta, and at least one fresh pasta prepped at Tabla each day”. Also, frozen custard! Stay tuned for more info.

Southwest

SW Third: The pizza slingers over at Via Tribunali have announced that the Neopolitan eatery will start lunch service on Monday, February 13. You can now get your Pizza Margheritas and Calzones starting at 11:30 am, Monday through Saturday. (They’ve also got heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day!)

SW Salmon: Aaron and Jessica Grimmer, co-owners of crepe-and-rice-pudding joint Pudding on the Rice, are opening a new eatery at 723 SW Salmon. The Picnic House will be a 55-seat “fast-casual” eatery, stay tuned for more info.

SW Washington: More word on Christopher Israel’s downtown taco from The O. The soon-to-open eatery has been dubbed Corazon, and is set to serve “$3 beers, shots and seven types of tacos (think fish, octopus).” Good fish tacos in Portland? Finally.

Metro Area

All Around the Bubble: The Tigard-based Typhoon! Thai restaurant chain has permanently closed all locations, according to a press release from co-owner Bo Kline. Citing the emotional and physical tolls of operating the business, as well as the death of co-founder Steve Kline last year.

National

The Internets: St. Jack pastry chef Alissa Rozos is a West Coast finalist in the Food & Wine Magazine People’s Best New Pastry Chef competition. Readers have the chance to vote for their favorite pastry pro on the website, so go show some Portland Pride!

Got a food news tip? Send it my way at ajones@portlandmonthlymag.com!

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Souped Up

Culinary share space, KitchenCru, runs hearty, affordable soup lunches through March.

Posted by: Benjamin Tepler on Feb 08, 2012 at 09:30AM 1 Comments

Photo: Benjamin Tepler

(From left to right) mulligatawny, butternut squash, and minestrone.

Downtown professionals know their lunch options. Endless food cart pods, a few sandwich shops here and there, maybe even a trip to Little Bird for a power lunch. You can break the monotony this month (the unofficial soup season) at KitchenCru, a community kitchen space in the Pearl District. The culinary incubators over at the KitchenCru chef’s counter are running a sweet deal: $7 for house-baked bread, a fresh, simple salad, and one of three fantastic soups, with new flavors rotating in every week.

Last week’s slurpable feast brought the Anglo-Indian Mulligatawny, a subtly spiced chicken broth, endowed with curry, basmati rice, and bright bites of apple along with a superlative minestrone, hearty with wilted kale and a dollop of garlicky pesto. A sneak peak at this week’s souped-up menu promises tomato bisque with truffled grilled cheese, a split pea soup with ham, and an Italian wedding soup with polpettine and escarole.

The modestly priced soup series (including a $9 sampling of all three flavors) is held every Thursday and Friday, 11:30-2:30pm. Don’t forget about the $5 glass of wine that comes with lunch, curated by the knowledgeable Dan Beekley, from CorksCru next door. “Souped-Up February” will run through March 2nd at which point we can all transition back into our early-springtime asparagus craze.

KitchenCru
337 NW Broadway
503-226-1900
“Souped-Up February” runs through March 2nd
Every Thursday and Friday, 11:30-2:30pm

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Date Night: V-Day Edition

We’ve curated a best-of list featuring Portland’s top Valentine’s date night options, so you’re bound to find the meal that truly suits you and your sweetheart.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Feb 07, 2012 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

I’m dreaming of the perfect dinner…

We’ve all got different ideas about what makes a perfect date night, so we’ve culled through this year’s Valentine’s Day dinner offerings to help you craft the perfect evening to match your personal foodie style.

Classic and Classy

clarklewis Love is Local Ingredients
Live the high life with this four-course meal highlighting the best of Oregon’s seasonal bounty. Dishes are set to include Dungeness crab arancini, chocolate-braised duck legs, wild shrimp wrapped in lardo, braised rabbit ravioli, pork belly-wrapped pork loin, and grilled leg of lam. $65 per person, for reservations call 503-235-2294.

Wildwood serves up Valentine’s Day Lunch and Dinner
Nothing says romance like lingering looks over lunch. Specials are set to include Grilled Pork Belly Confit with mashed chickpeas, cocoa-braised lamb ribs with harrisa polenta, or apple and radicchio salad with honey, grated walnuts, and buttermilk blue cheese. Lunch reservations available from 11:30 to 2:30 and dinner reservations available from 5:00 to 9:45. Call 503-248-9663 for more details.

Paley’s Place Pulls out the Big Guns
This Valentine’s Day, Paley’s Place will be offering specials like Baked Oysters Rock’a’fella made ‘Paley’s Way’ with bacon, foie gras, and black truffles, an Oregon black truffle tart with apples and leeks, spit-roasted Duck Breast and Duck Leg Confit with shaved foie gras, and a New York Strip Steak with creamed greens, Dungeness crab, and bacon hollandaise. Call 503-243-2403 for reservations.

More Valentine’s Day Specials: The Heathman, 23Hoyt, Genoa.

Oh-So-Portlandia

Ned Ludd Four-Course Menu for Lovers, Seatings at 6 and 8
This Northeast love nest is featuring heart-felt specials from the wood fire oven, like hen ragu with arugula, smoked trotter terrine, venison with celery root and juniper, beef coppa mole, and a few decadent desserts. Vegetarian options available by request. $45, wine pairings for an additional $20. Call 503-288-6900 for reservations.

Din Din Supper Club’s Sexy Valentine’s Day
This year, sexy means Italian—think romantic menu items and Armani-clad servers and cooks—at two din din dinners: one at the Sakura Ridge Farm & Lodge in Hood River on Saturday, February 11th at 6pm, and one on Valentine’s Day proper (the 14th) at 7pm in Portland at The Little Church, 5138 NE 23rd. Both events are $85 for five courses and wine pairings. Head over the the din din website for full menu details and reservations.

More Valentine’s Day Specials: Gilt Club, Blossoming Lotus, Acadia

Vino-centric

Bar Avignon Toasts to Love and Oysters
Everyone knows oysters are an aphordisiac, so pile them high with Bar Avignon’s Valentine’s Oyster Flight. Get two baked Yaquina Bay “Rockefeller” oysters, raw Kusshi oysters with Champagne mignonette, and raw Malaspina oysters with Mimosa Gel, all for $18. Grab a bottle of wine or some specialty cocktails, then finish your romantic meal with a Molten Chocolate Cake with espresso creme anglaise and Bourbon chocolate truffles. Specials will be available from Friday, February 10th through Tuesday, February 14th. For more information, call 503-517-0808.

More Valentine’s Day Specials: Andina, Red Ridge Farms Chocolate and Wine Tasting.

Modern Romance

Departure’s Naughty and Nice Dinner For Two
This set-price menu will feature Kampachi sashimi with roasted grapes, apple and parsnip soup with duck confit and ginger, Chili Noodles with crab, and beef cheeks in toasted coconut, plus a decadent chocolate dessert. $50 per person, call 503-802-5370 for reservations.

Aviary Does Four Romantic Courses
Alberta’s internationally-inspired eatery is serving up four courses of tasty treats, including Arctic Char crudo with blood orange and caviar, truffled egg toast, and pan-roasted squab with soy caramel and yellowfoot mushrooms. $55 per person, wine pairings available for an additional $25. Call 503-287-2400 for reservations.

More Valentine’s Day Specials: Biwa, Yakuza.

Meat + Potatoes = Love

Urban Farmer Luxurious Meals for Two
Sharing is caring, so grab your darling and head to the Nines Hotel for a truly decadent meal for two. Choose between a Northwest Seafood Platter with Hama Hama oysters, Honey mussels, Dungeness crab, and smoked sturgeon for $45, butter-poached Maine lobster with salt-cured foie gras and black trumpet mushrooms for $55, and 21-day dry aged 32 ounce Ribeye with bone marrow and horseradish, carved tableside for $110. Specials available from Friday, February 10th through Tuesday, February 14th.

The Country Cat Reservations available, call 503-408-1414
Chef Adam Sappington is preparing lover’s specials like a Steak for Two with scampi butter and lacy potato cake, oysters on the half shell with green apple mignonette, and a decadent milk chocolate dessert to share. Regular menu also available.

Besaw’s Sexy Surf and Turf
This Valentine’s Day, tuck into an Oyster Plate with three fried and three fresh oysters then choose between Peppered Beef Tenderloin with beef demi-glace and celery root puree or Grilled Ahi Tuna with avocado chutney. For reservations, call 503-228-2619.

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5 Questions for Healthy Dinner Party Diva Abby Fammartino

The chef and owner of Abby’s Table is launching Abby’s Table Healthy Kitchen Membership, lending her allergy-free dinner tips and tricks to home cooks that have fallen in love with her approach to farm-to-table food.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Feb 07, 2012 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

Photo: David Lanthan Reamer

When guests sit down to dinner at Abby’s Table on Southeast Ankeny, there’s an almost palpable feeling of collective anticipation for the family-style meal ahead. There’s no menu to select from, just the promise of a gourmet four-course meal made without gluten, dairy, or soy. The results are invariably delicious, and after the meal the assembled crowd bursts into a round of applause to congratulate the kitchen team on a difficult job done well.

With a new online membership revealing recipes, shopping tips, and nutritional information, Fammartino hopes to break down that aura of perceived difficulty, one email at a time.

Fammartino has been dreaming up delicious allergy-free dishes for years. After attending the Natural Gourmet Institute of Food and Health in Manhattan, she worked at the lauded Greens in San Francisco and was even the featured chef on a National Geographic Expedition in the Aleutian Islands. Her eclectic experience and love of travel are reflected in the international flavors on her menus, and her passion for healthy, delicious foods has prompted her to launch an online service that debunks the myth that from-scratch, healthy cooking must be a daunting feat.

I sat down with Fammartino before a delicious dinner to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on her most-loved cookbooks and blogs, her favorite Portland restaurants, and the new Abby’s Table Healthy Kitchen Membership that brings the treats of her table to your kitchen.

1) Tell us about your new subscription service, Abby’s Table Healthy Kitchen Membership.

It was inspired by all the people who come to our dinners who are so excited to eat things that are both delicious and good for them. We want to empower people to feel that way in their own kitchens, to make allergy-free cooking less intimidating. Instead of giving people a bunch of recipes, we’re sharing the skills, the improvisation tips, the ways you can take one recipe and learn how to transform it into meals that last throughout the week. Each week, members receive seasonal recipes, a discussion of the health benefits of the week’s ingredients, a shopping list, kitchen tips, and videos and audio chats with me and our functional nutritionist Andrea Nakayama.

2) Which cookbooks and blogs have inspired your culinary style?

I really like 101 Cookbooks, Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds, and The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld. Mostly, though, I’m inspired by the weather. When it’s cold and dreary outside, I want to give people the comforting food they crave, and when the sun comes out, I try to make it feel a bit more like summer on their plates.

3) What have been some of the most popular "Abby’s Table dinners?

People have loved our Breakfast for Dinner events, but our most popular dinners tend to be the ones that feature spicy, “complicated” flavors. The Southern Indian and Sicilian dinners, as well as the Oaxacan and Thai events, seem to get people really excited, and we get a lot of requests for recipes from those international cuisines. We also just did a Norwegian dinner full of a lot of new flavors and dishes that translate so well to ingredients from the Pacific Northwest.

4) Your dinners are definitely some of the least expensive four-course experiences in town. Why have your prices stayed so low?

Pricing has always been a big part of our message. When we started, our dinners were small, $12 deals, and now they’re only $24 for four courses. With the dinners here, we’re more interested in bringing people in and showing them what we can do, turning them on to these dishes and cooking skills. It’s not about profit, at a certain point. It’s about creating a space where people and come together on a regular basis and eat what they love, and not have to save up for a month to do it.

5) Which restaurants do you enjoy when you’re not in your own kitchen?

I love clarklewis, Grain and Gristle, and Pok Pok (I have a soft spot for chicken wings). Really, there are so many places in Portland where it’s possible to eat the way I love eating!

Abby’s Table
609 Southeast Ankeny Street
503-828-7662

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Naomi Pomeroy to Relocate and Update Beast

Portland’s pork princess plans to roll out a new look, new location, and new ideas by September.

Posted by: Karen Brooks on Feb 06, 2012 at 03:20PM 5 Comments

Naomi Pomeroy and Mika Paredes

Six years ago, Naomi Pomeroy opened one of Portland’s great food experiments, a supper club with reservations, six-course feasts, and major girl power. Now, with a pile of national media clips and two food-TV-star turns under her bistro apron, she’s ready to take the next step. Pomeroy tells Eat Beat that she will not renew the lease on her two-table house of cool at NE 30th Avenue and Killingsworth Street. The lease expires in August. Her plan is to take Beast to a bigger location. The signature communal dinners will stay, but Beast will unleash a bar with a playful menu and seasonal cocktails that break with Portland’s manly bourbon and bitter-centric drinks. “I want people to come when they want,” she says. “Right now, it’s just one option—come for the night and six courses. I’m lightening things for us. This town is so dude food.”

Pomeroy is scouring downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Basically, she says, “I’m looking for a landlord excited to have me, what I can bring to a neighborhood.” Meanwhile, her longtime culinary sidekick, Mika Paredes, has signed on for the ride.

However it shakes out is bound to be interesting. Pomeroy has great style—no one sets a more beautiful table. Ideas right now to complement the multi-course dinners are in the blue sky phase. “If we go downtown, I’d do lunch. Maybe tapas, Barcelona-style, plates ready to grab; or just a fixed menu. I’ve toyed with idea to do a walk-by sandwich window, a brick-and-motor food cart. I’m super excited about the ideas.”

Pomeroy plans to celebrate one of Portland’s most personal spaces with special feasts from now through August, from beer dinners to vegetarian throw-downs. Watch the web site for details: beastpdx.com

Beast
5425 NE 30th Ave
503-841-6968
Dinner Wed–Sat

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PDX Chefs Serve Soup for the Soul

Eat Beat’s snagged a pair tickets to Transition Project’s Soup for the Soul Event featuring Portland’s top chefs—and we’re just itching to give them away.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Feb 06, 2012 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Looking for a chance to hobnob with the hot shots of Portland’s culinary scene and help a great cause at the same time? The Transition Projects Soup for the Soul competition is taking over the Pearl District’s Urban Studio on February 23 from 6 to 8:30 pm, and will feature some of Portland’s biggest names in food and drink serving up their take on winter’s warmest dish.

Among the recognizable faces at the benefit-in-a-bowl dinner: Christopher Israel of Grüner and the upcoming Corazon, Daniel Mondok of Genoa, Sel Gris, and an upcoming wine country restaurant in Dundee, Greg Samples of Portland Prime, Amanda Ames of Chez Joly, Karen Pride and Brittney Galloway of Prasad Cafe, and the up-and-coming culinary stars of the Oregon Culinary Institute’s Food Ethics and Social Responsibility department.

The event will be emceed by FOX 12’s Andy Carson, and will also feature nibbles and sips from Cupcake Jones and Widmer Brothers brewing.

Want to sip soup with the pros? The $75 event will benefit the work of Transition Projects, an organization that helps over 500 people move from homelessness to housing each year. Get your tickets for the soup showdown here. (A portion of the ticket price is tax deductible.)

Foodie Freebie: If you’d like to score a free pass to the soup extravaganza, you’re in luck. Eat Beat’s snagged a pair tickets to give away to our readers, and they just might have your name on them. Send me an email at ajones@portlandmonthlymag.com with “Soup for the Soul” in the headline by Friday, February 17th at 5 pm, and I’ll pick a winner at random for a night of soup, dessert, beer, wine, music, and good vibes.

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Eat Beat Weekly Planner

Our digest of Portland’s top upcoming food and drink events, including a carbonated cocktail seminary with Jeffrey Morgenthaler and two tapas dinners worth a taste.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Feb 06, 2012 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Wine dinners shine at Luce.

Great Wine Buys Vietti Dinner at Luce Restaurant
What: A seven-wine, five-course dinner at Luce highlighting the wines of Vietti, one of the top producers of Piedmont. Chefs John Taboda and John Willis will prepare classic Piedmontese dishes including eggs in green sauce, risotto with red wine, and capon in hazelnut and honey sauce. Paired wines will include Arneis, Barbera d’Asti, Nebbiolo Perbacco, Barolo Castiglione, an older single-vineyard Barolo, and Moscato.
When: Wednesda,y Febuary 8th at 7 pm.
Where: Luce, 2138-2140 E. Burnside St
How Much: $75 including all food, wine, and gratuity. For reservations, call Great Wine Buys at 503-287-2897.

Tapas & Tango with Penner-Ash, Toro Bravo, and Ned Ludd
What: A pre-Valentines’ Day tapas feast featuring flowing Penner-Ash wine and plenty of dancing to a live band. Chefs John Gorham of Toro Bravo and Jason French of Ned Ludd are crafting a tapas-inspired menu from locally sourced ingredients, and Alex Krebs, world renowned tango dancer and instructor, will show guests the basics of the most romantic dance in the world.
When: Friday, February 10th at 5:30
Where: Penner-Ash Winer
How Much: $100 per person. For reservations, call 503-554-5545.

Carbonated Cocktail Seminar with Jeffrey Morgenthaler
What: Get the low-down on bubbles, the biggest trend in cocktails, from one of the best bartenders in Portland. Find out about home carbonation, try a few sparkling cocktails for yourself, and embark on a crash course in the history of carbonation. This is a Portland Culinary Alliance event, but is open to the public.
When: Sunday, February 12th at 2 pm.
Where: Oregon Culinary Institute, 1701 SW Jefferson St.
How Much: $25 PCA members, $30 non-members. For more information and to reserve a spot, visit the Portland Culinary Alliance website. Reservations must be made by Thursday, February 9th.

Vegetarian Dinner at Beast
What: The next round of meat-free feasting at Northeast’s hottest little eatery is scheduled, and the menu is set to feature crispy yellow beets and chervil, truffled goat cheese raviolo, white bean tartlettes, citrus cream cake and more. These dinners sell out fast, so make your reservations ASAP.
When: Tuesday, February 21st; Seatings at 6 and 8:45 pm.
Where: Beast 5425 Northeast 30th Avenue
How Much: $100 per person (including all food and wine pairings). For reservations, call 503-841-6968.

Momokawa Saké Supper Club at Wildwood
What: First in a series of Oregon craft saké pairing dinners, featuring sips from SakéOne in Forest Grove and nibbles from . Each chef was told to avoid the typical Asian fare and get inspired with new flavor combinations, so Chef Dustin Clark of Wildwood will pair these local sips with his hyper-local Northwest Cuisine. The next dinners in the series will feature dishes from Andina and Saucebox.
When: Friday, February 24 at 7 pm.
Where: Wildwood Restaurant 1221 NW 21st Ave; 503-248-9663
How Much: $55 per person, including food and saké.

The Reign of Spain: An Evening of Tapas at Kenny & Zuke’s
What: The ninth annual Spanish tapas dinner at Downtown deli Kenny & Zuke’s, featuring more than fourteen traditional family-style small plates washed down with pomegranate Sangria.
When: Sunday, February 26, seatings at 4:30 and 7:15
Where: Kenny & Zuke’s 1038 Southwest Stark Street
How Much: $42.50 per person, including food and sangria, $35.50 food only, $19.75 kids under 12. For reservations, call the restaurant at 503-222-3354.

Portland Food Adventure at Gilt Club, with Lardo
What: Next up in the popular Chef’s Choice dinner series from Portland Food Adventures, an interactive multi-course meal with chefs Chris Carriker of NW Broadway’s Gilt Club and Rick Gencarelli of crave-worthy cart Lardo. Diners will enjoy the decadent eateries’ signature flavors and chat with the chefs about their favorite Portland restaurants and bars.
When: Wednesday, February 29 at 6:30 pm.
Where: Gilt Club 306 NW Broadway
How Much: $125 per person, including dinner, cocktails & wine, tip, and gift certificates to some of the two chefs’ favorite Portland places. For reservations, head to the PFA website.

Patton Valley Vineyards Winemaker Dinner at Bluehour
What: A five-course pairing menu. Winemaker Derek Einberger and Chef Thomas Boyce will be on hand to discuss the dishes, wines, and more. Courses are set to include smoked trout with caviar, seared Maine diver scallops (paired with 2009 Wente Clone Chardonnay), Striped Bass with blood sausage (paired with 2009 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir), Sudan Farms Lamb two ways (paired with 2009 Lorna Marie Pinot Noir), and much more.
When: Saturday, February 11 at 6:30 pm.
Where: Bluehour’s Private Dining Room:
How Much: $100 per person including food and wine. Gratuity not included. For reservations, call 503-226-3394.

Know about a great event coming up that should be on our radar? Shoot me an email at ajones@portlandmonthlymag.com or give me a shout over on Twitter at @allisonejones. Now get out there and start eating!

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Dragonfish Closing, Reopening as Tasting East

Downtown restaurant shutters briefly to rebrand as Asian-inspired “street plates” restaurant across from Directors Park.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Feb 02, 2012 at 01:00PM 0 Comments

A fish by any other name: Dragonfish Restaurant in the Paramount Hotel has closed its doors at 909 SW Park Avenue. The space is currently being transformed into Asian fusion eatery Tasting East Restaurant, set to open late February.

According to Tasting East’s manager Andrew Tinling (who was also the bar manager at Dragonfish), the eatery’s new menu will offer small plates inspired by the street cuisines of China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, India and Vietnam.

The bar will offer sho-chu, soju, and Portland’s largest selection Asian beers. TE:bar is now open, and will be open while the full-service restaurant is remodeled.

Dragonfish, which opened in 2001, was an offshoot of Seattle’s Dragonfish Asian Cafe.

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Service Shake-Ups

A few Portland favorites are mixing up their menus, including the debut of dinner service at Bijou Cafe and Chef’s Choice tasting menus at Castagna—with daily vegetarian options.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Feb 02, 2012 at 11:00AM 0 Comments

Bijou Does Dinner: Popular downtown dining destination Bijou Café will add Friday dinner service starting this week, February 3rd (132 SW 3rd Ave). According to Chef Josh Lorenzen, doors will open at 6, dinner will be offered from 6:30 on, and each week will feature the musical stylings of live jazz musicians from the Pacific Northwest.

An early look at the new menu reveals tastes like pan-seared steelhead with broccolini and garnet yams, braised lamb shanks with apricot pistachio couscous, linguine with clams and Italian sausage, and a pastrami sandwich with house-made sauerkraut and gruyere. A varied selection of snacks and small plates will also be available for those stopping in for the music, including curried butternut squash soup, warm black kale salad with hazelnuts, local cheese plate, and mussels with andouille and fennel.

Paragon Rolls Out Sunday Brunch: Pearl District eatery Paragon will debut brunch service on Sunday, February 19 from 10 am to 2 pm (1309 NW Hoyt at 13th). The Sunday menu will feature brunch classics like pork belly hash, eggs benedict, buttermilk flapjacks and a Portland take on huevos rancheros.

On the liquid side of things, look forward to a Bacon Bloody Mary and the Wake Up Call, with Amaretto di Saronno, Tia Maria, Stumptown Coffee and fresh whipped cream. For the kick-off weekend, brunch will be offered Sunday and Monday (Presidents’ Day, February 20th), and proceeds will benefit Blanchet House.

Castagna Debuts Tasting Menus: Choosing items off the menu at Castagna used to require a leap of faith, due to the difficulty of capturing the restaurant’s exquisite dishes in typical appetizer, entree, and dessert descriptions. With the debut of Castagna’s new daily tasting menu only service, diners will be able to enjoy Chef Justin Woodward’s culinary creations without being stymied by the choice between “winter squash hot and cold with wild char roe, nasturtium, mustard and arugula” and “cauliflower in various textures with oyster and oyster leaf”.

Castagna will now offer frequently-shifting chef’s choice menus of five ($65) or ten ($95) courses, including a daily vegetarian five-course option (ten-course veg meal available with 24 hours notice). Each dish featured on the new tasting menus will be paired with a wine selection from sommelier Jack Hott for an additional fee, and dishes will also be available a la carte (a perfect intro for first-time diners).

Chef Woodward has long been a champion of the farmers and foragers that deliver the best of the country to his kitchen, and his avant garde take on Northwest Cuisine truly highlights the best of Oregon’s fresh-picked bounty. With the new freedom of the chef’s choice menus, Woodward will have even more room to experiment.

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